It’s very difficult to compare Kevin Durant to another player past or present, because there is nobody quite like him — long, deadly on the catch-and-shoot but can attack off the dribble, can play isolation or within the offense, and with a shot that is virtually unblockable.

The closest thing on offense may be Dirk Nowitzki — a 7’0” jump shooter with seemingly unlimited range and an unblockable shot. They’re not the same, but there are similarities.

“He’s a 6-10 guy with a 7-4 wingspan who can shoot it from the parking lot. He’s posting up now. In transition he’s so long that, when he gets a pass from the 3-point line, it’s a layup or dunk with one step. He’s got the one- or two-dribble pull-up, which you need to be a great scorer, because you can’t just shoot 3s or go to the basket if you want to be a great scorer, ’cause sometimes you can’t get all the way to the bucket. He can go both ways, one or two dribbles and up.

The two do have one thing in common, though: they are two of the humblest superstar players you will ever see. I’ve never seen either of them seeking out the spotlight. The ball, yes. The big shot, absolutely. But try to imagine Nowitzki making a rap video about how great he is (ignoring the many, many other reasons why that wouldn’t happen). Or try to picture Durant getting in a shootout in a strip club with a big posse of yes-men around him.

These are guys who are grounded, who understand that just because they are better than most everyone else on the court, that doesn’t mean they are better than everyone else off the court as well.

Good post. Me and a friend saw Durant waiting on the corner of the Wawa at UMD capus 3 years ago, and he couldnt have been nicer. He talked to us for a good 5 minutes about basketball and laughed when we told him he should have came to UMD. It was crazy how down to Earth he was.

After walking away we both thought “man, we should have aske dhim to ball with us at the gym”, so we went back and did lol. He said “Sorry, guys, meeting Vasquez (his HS teammate who played at UMD) but I would otherwise.” How nice was that for him to do.

It is hard to compare Durant to another player, but how about Bob McAdoo? When he was a Buffalo Brave, he was a 6’10 scoring machine? Or like nbadraft.com nailed it on the head, they said Durant is Dirk Nowiztki x Tracy McGrady. He’s 6’10 with a 7’5 reach, but has the fluidity and skill set of a small SG.

I am a huge LAKERS fan but I absolutely love dudes like KD and Derrick Rose. They’re proving you don’t have to get tats proclaiming you’re the “Chosen One”. Or have a “pre” championship celebration just so a bunch of bandwagon fans can bow at your feet and tell you how grateful they are for you deciding to bring your talents to their lame city.